Kenkyo Kenjitsu

Reika-sama – 214

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Today was teppanyaki day at Wakaba-chan’s house.

I had some high-grade beef with me as a present.

What do you mean I just wanted to eat it?

“Takamichi-san, please have this meat. If it pleases you, shall we all try some later on?”

“Ehh!? You even brought us high quality meat!? That’s so nice~ Wah, so heavy. Thanks!”

“No, no~”

Uhuhuhu, teppanyaki, teppanyaki~

Cooking on a hotplate is teppanyaki~

“Please come in, Kisshouin-san.”

“Please excuse me~”

I followed her into the living room where her siblings were already waiting.

“Welcome, Coro-chan!”

“So you’re finally here, Coronet!”

“Welcome.”

“Hello, everybody. Thank you for having me,” I said.

I was basically established as ‘Coro-chan’ by now

Kanta-kun was standing in the kitchen and making something.

“Kisshouin-san, take a seat?” asked Wakaba-chan. “Is barley tea okay?”

“Yes, thank you. Kanta-kun, what is that you are making?” I asked.

“Milk pudding. You’ll get some too, don’t worry,” he replied offhandedly.

“My, how delightful!” I exclaimed. “Thank you, Kanta-kun! Shall I help?”

“No. You just sit there,” he said.

“Okay,” I obeyed.

Kanta-kun’s manner of speaking was a little rude, but he was actually a much nicer kid than he let on.

Huh? What do you mean I’m being influenced by food?

I sipped at the barley tea that Wakaba-chan gave me and just rested for a bit.

Haah~

It was relaxing here.

But there was actually something I planned to ask the next time I came here.

Naturally it was regarding that necklace.

From what I understood, it had been around the teddybear’s neck.

I was scared to ask, but now that I knew about it I had no choice but to do so.

While Wakaba-chan was talking about her studies since the beginning of the school year, I very casually brought it up.

“Say, Takamichi-san? I do recall that Kaburagi-sama gave you a rather cute teddybear, no? It would be nice if I could have another look at it.”

“Eh? Oh, sure.”

Suspecting nothing, Wakaba-chan went to her room to retrieve it.

“Here you go.”

“Thank you.”

Just like I recalled, there was no necklace around its neck.

I stealthily shifted its collar just to make sure.

Nothing.

“It’s really cute, isn’t it? I was pretty shocked to hear the price though,” she laughed.

“Its round eyes are rather adorable,” I said, as I casually patted it down for any sign of metal.

Nothing.

“…Because it was a limited Christmas special it came with a rather festive cape. But other Christmas bears held presents, or came with other accessories. Did this one not come with any?”

“Nothing at all!”

Ehh!?

Then where on earth had Kaburagi’s overly heavy present gone!?

I looked and touched it all over, in every nook and cranny.

Nothing!

“You seem awfully interested in that teddybear, Kisshouin-san,” commented Wakaba-chan.

“Eh? Ah, well, I do have an interest in handicrafts after all, so I was thinking of making one myself sometime. Sorry for being strange,” I apologised.

I guess I was acting a bit too suspiciously.

“Ohh, not at all,” she said. “I’d forgotten that you were with the Handicrafts Club. Don’t mind me. Look as much as you want.”

“Thank you… Say, is this a girl? Girl teddybears often come with accessories, no?”

“They do, don’t they. Hmm, I guess the cape is a bit girlish.”

“Right…? So nothing else came with her? No accessories or the like…?”

“Accessories? I don’t think so…”

“I see…”

But just as I had given up, and handed the teddybear back to her…

“Ah! I remember now. She came with a necklace.”

“Eh!? She did!?”

So there was one!

“Yeah. This cute heart-shaped necklace. I’d forgotten that it had come with it.”

“Where is it!?” I exclaimed.

“My sister has it.”

“Natsumi-chan!?”

Why with her!?

“Yeah. My sister really liked it. She’s at that age when you’re starting to want to dress up, right? But I thought real accessories were too soon for a primary schooler, so I gave her that toy necklace instead.”

“…”

Oh my god, Kaburagi…

“Might I see that necklace…?”

“Eh? Sure, I guess. Then let me go call Nacchan! Nachaaan!”

What do I do, Kaburagi?

The price of the necklace, the meaning behind it, Wakaba-chan didn’t notice a thing.

Her little sister came out with the necklace.

“Here you go.”

It was a platinum necklace, with an open heart pavé diamond pendant.

“It doesn’t look like a toy at all, right?”

Natsumi-chan, that’s because it isn’t a toy…

“You’d never think that it came with a toy.”

Wakaba-chan, that’s because the toy came with it…

I looked over the necklace in my hand.

When he said he had handmade it I had expecting something a bit less professionally shaped, but apparently Kaburagi was stupidly good with his hands.

I could literally see this in a shop.

You must have really tried, Kaburagi…

I guess all those presents to Yurie-sama must have paid off after the years.

When I spotted the little ‘M&W’ on the back, I began crying inside for Kaburagi.

This necklace was filled with all of his weighty feelings inside.

Kaburagi had toiled in a workshop to make it.

But after seeing Natsumi-chan wearing it so happily, I just couldn’t bring myself to tell the truth.

She really seemed to love it, after all…

Mn.

I saw nothing, today.

See not, hear not, speak not…

Ah, but I ought to at least make sure she didn’t lose it or throw it away because she thought it was a toy…

“Natsumi-chan? This necklace came as part of a Christmas special, so this accessory is actually well-made enough that people can wear it. Take care of it, all right?”

“Ehh!? I had no idea! Did you hear that Nacchan? Treat it well, okay?”

“Yeah!”

I was going to forget all about it.

That Kaburagi had designed it while thinking of her, that he had painstakingly crafted it while thinking of her, that he had attached it to the bear and anxiously wondered about her response, I was going to forget all about it.

Unnoticed by the innocently smiling sisters, I silently wiped away the tears in my heart.

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88 thoughts on “Reika-sama – 214”

            1. View post on imgur.com

              In case you’re wondering why some stats aren’t fours or fives, it’s because WoD power curves assumes that the characters are adults. So a lot of these stats are actually disgustingly overpowered for mere high schoolers. A skill at a three is “professional.” And most Suiran students have no skills at that level.

              Allies is a merit that represents Reika’s ability to get favors out of the student body. That’s not a five because a five means that she can elicit dangerous or illegal favors, whereas a three is actually pretty significant.

              I gave Reika a Presence of 5 for comedy. As an attribute ranked at the level is always a product of constant practice OR somebody who is naturally blessed. Reika is naturally blessed with Presence, but rarely uses it to its full devastating potential because she has the Coward flaw and is a little bit oblivious to her own power.

              Liked by 8 people

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    3. i think its more like either she were scared of his gift or didnt care about it at all
      and the later one is more likely , what can she do with a teddybear ? she atleast not heartless enough to sell it off for a good dinner.
      Reika is trustly her best friend as she understands that Wakaba like high ranked beef than a bear with necklace that could buy some trucks of beef .

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      1. Sell the bear? Wah? Consumable luxuries like that don’t resell for much because they’re just one-off items intended to rip people off. Diamonds are pretty much a classic example of this, what with the cartels and monopolies surrounding them and their artificially inflated selling price.

        Aside from that, the Wakabas are smack-dab middle class. Reika notices that they aren’t so poor that they have to reuse bathwater or anything extreme like that. They have to work hard to maintain a comfortable lifestyle, but that’s about it. So she’s not so desperate that reselling a clearly sentimental gift would be that much of a temptation.

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        1. By the by, there’s a good Cracked article that pretty articulates the in’s and out’s of the jewelry trade.

          It essentially boils down to: “It’s bullshit.”
          A girl in Reika’s position should care about that knowledge, but somebody like me can comfortably dismiss it as much ado about nothing. I don’t have to maintain an appearance of conspicuous consumption like Reika does.

          Most jewelry is set in such a way as to hide the flaws of a stone and most sale tactics are spin. Worse still, science makes jewelry increasingly more and more subjective in value. I’m not fully convinced that we’re not already at a basic scientific understanding that would allow us to grow crystals completely indistinguishable from the real thing. It’s just that nobody truly gives enough of a fuck to do the applied R&D and industrial scaling to make it worthwhile.

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          1. That and I’ve developed a sort of suspicion that the only reason gold prices stay high is that there’s a deeply-ingrained cultural perception of the value of gold in Indian culture. They collectively view buying gold as a good investment. A population of 1.3 billion people kind of has a lot of say in the matter on the global market.

            Truly, if we could mine asteroid, gold would be near-worthless metal with few interesting applications except as a conductor and as a corrosive-proof coating.

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            1. It sort of pisses me off that there’s at least one company out there that can grow synthetic gemstones but won’t take bribes to remove a fluorescent doping agent to identify it as “fake.”

              Personally, I’d grow natural-looking stones, impossible to detect by jewelers, merely out of sheer spite. I have no use for such pointlessly subjective carriers of value.

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  8. I also think like Wakaba, what’s on the teddy bear is belong to the teddy bear… Kaburagi’s romantic bone defy all logic (at least my logic)

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  10. Dead. This is the problem with being a double agent… Gotta pick one side over the other and live with the knowledge…the weight!!
    Many thankss

    Liked by 18 people

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  11. “It doesn’t look like a toy at all, right?”

    Natsumi-chan, that’s because it isn’t a toy…

    “You’d never think that it came with a toy.”

    Wakaba-chan, that’s because the toy came with it…

    — I love this part! The Tsukkomi’s are flying off the shelf.

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    2. In theater, when bad things happen to someone you respect it’s a tragedy. When bad things happen to someone you don’t respect, it becomes the grist for comedy.

      And I laughed out loud thanks to this chapter.

      Liked by 9 people

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      1. I often wonder if the narrative were written from a different perspective, if more people would actually like Kaburagi more.

        I’m reminded of a guy who dropped Game of Thrones simply because Ned Stark got his head chopped off. Because he couldn’t comprehend a narrative in which the “protagonist” didn’t win.

        I actually consider Kaburagi more valorous and able to act on his morals than Reika is. Reika sometimes frustrates me because she means well, but has none of the courage to actually act on her convictions.

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        1. So true. There’s a lot of things Reika can actually do, but doesn’t. I like how observant she is (sometimes), but she makes me feel a little powerless too because most of the things she notices, she doesn’t change.

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  14. Thanks for the chapter!
    I loved the tsukomi in this chapter; Bakaburagi is really pitiful in this chapter and is well deserved.
    Loved how Reika-sama justifyed herself in the first part of the chapter.

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    1. Masaya&Wakaba
      This is too heavy!!!
      They aren’t even dating yet he is already doing such things!!!!
      No normal girl would be able to bear with it, which is why it was better to not let Wakaba know that the necklace was for her…… it would creep her out XD

      Liked by 23 people

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      2. Man I completely forgot Kaburagi’s first name. Also that is freaking heavy. He handmade a heart shaped pendant with diamonds and even engraved their initials on the back. That’s too much.

        Liked by 12 people

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        1. They aren’t.

          Enjou is at pains to explain to Reika that she’s a marriage candidate only, not a serious fiance. Mostly he did this to poll Reika’s reaction and to clear up the rumors with her. It backfired so Reika believes they’re serious.

          You’ll mostly notice that it’s always Yuiko pushing herself onto Enjou and that he’s unhappy to be dragged away from Reika at the party. Enjou is the sort who can’t say, “No” to any of his fangirls and he’s commented that scolding them only causes them to cry. He’s the type that tries hard to please everybody.

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  20. Wakaba is strangely perceptive on Reika.
    “You seem awfully interested in that teddybear, Kisshouin-san,” commented Wakaba-chan.
    But no F is given to whatever is done by Kaburagi.

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  22. I thought for sure that Bakaburagi dodged a bullet when Wakaba first said she didn’t find a necklace. It’s real fate is waaayyy worth knowing the background about it.
    XDDschadenfreudeXDD

    By the by, shouldn’t the initials be “MxT” or “KxW”? Although, if he’s trying to be polite, he’s gone way too far with the present for that.

    Reika is like my spirit animal. If she can’t do, she provides resources to those who can AND will. I’ve never used a grill, but I can most certainly bring the steak that I want to eat for my friend’s bbq XDD

    (Although Kanta is the friend I want throughout my life. I hope to keep friends who are always willing to feed me ;D)

    Thanks so much for the newest chapter! I want teppanyaki~

    Liked by 5 people

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  26. reika: 🙈🙉🙊
    MxW… considering the intimate weight of first names, no wonder reika wants to delete it from her memory, lmao.

    Thanks so much for the chapter! And to think, last chapter I was hoping for more scenes with wakaba~ yeee friendshippp

    Liked by 11 people

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  27. Omg, thanks for translating! I went to sleep, ans the moment I woke up, the chapter was there, and so, I’m still rolling on the bed right now.

    Yep, Reika. See not, hear not, speak not. Let’s keep quiet about this. Bakaburagi, you’ve worked hard. 😂😂😂

    I see him attaching the diamonds one by one on the necklace, and wow, look at that hard work, go to the younger sis of your target hahahahahahaaha! 😂😂😂

    See, Bakaburagi, giving them food and daily necessities instead of expensive jewellery or flowers gets you invited into the Takamichi house, as well as a dinner invitation LOLOLOLOLOLOL. Learn from Coro-chan, damnit. 😂😂😂

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  28. I’m drooling thinking about the Tenpanyaki. I do have a Tenpanyaki machine/appliance at home, but it’s been sitting in the storeroom for the past 15-20 years (its been there aince forever) in its original packaging, along with 3 rice cookers, another microwave(we alrdy have one), and another brand new toaster… I wonder what my Tanuki of a dad was thinking back then. Are you planning to feed an army with those rice cookers?! (Apparently we actually have 1 or 2 more rice cookers which had thankfully been given away)

    I want tenpanyaki. But my mum said that it’ll stink up the house so no…

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    1. So true… the villainess really helps the romance along… without them you’re just an awkward guy who tries to buy love with uncomfortably expensive gifts…

      Liked by 9 people

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  36. Thanks for the chapter ^^
    Man the amount of tsukkumi and mental damage dealt in this chapter is surreal…
    Also, I don’t think Wakaba-chan is dense in this case (but yes she’s dense in other cases she should have realized how Bakaburagi felt about her already) cuz who would have thought the necklace that came with a toy isnt actually a toy at all right?

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  38. Bakaragi vs Reika
    Baka: You underestimate my romance power!
    Reika (to her disciple Bakaragi) : it’s over Masaya! i have have high ground! I have her, her parents, her brother and sister approvals … and more than all, i have common sense

    Liked by 6 people

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  39. Seriously though, imagine if your classmate — who you’ve only casually talked to in passing, have only hung out with once (studying in a group), who has never expressed any feelings to you, and who occasionally buys things from your family bakery — gave you a giant super expensive bear with a handmade diamond necklace with both of your initials carved on it. O_O

    I’d be like “HOLYCRAP YOUR FEELINGS ARE TOO HEAVY RED FLAG RED FLAG” no matter how rich/hot he was…

    Liked by 7 people

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    1. it would be worser if you are some baka manga lover like me : ” holycrap , a stalker ! he he might kidnap me … he could totally a yandere”
      ( then after 30 mins of nonsense imagine)
      “mom, i need to move out the town, i need victim insecurity, my life is endangered”

      Liked by 3 people

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    2. To be fair, though, he’s talked to her a lot, regularly visits her family’s shop, gives her all kinds of other gifts, and even takes her for rides in his car. To me that already spells above the normal level of interest, but I agree that it’s still far too weird. That’st he kind of gift you give to a serious girlfriend, no doubt.

      Liked by 1 person

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  45. “M&W”?! /(@~@)\
    That’s… too much… orz
    I want to cry too.

    Though “W&M” would have been more… Mmm… Sorry, I’m not sure what I want to say…

    Thanks for the chapter.

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  47. thnx for the chapter

    and nonononono reika just tell them please, it could be dangerous for a little girl to bring something so expensive, what if someone recognise the value of those diamonds?

    Liked by 2 people

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  50. First time commenting. Your translation of this series is just perfect — I feel like none of the characters’ personalities are being lost.

    Thank you for the hours upon hours of laughter! Poor Enjou.

    Liked by 2 people

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  52. Poor Bakaburagi. He really did put all his feelings into it, too bad that he’s completely mixed up the order of things. Welp, this is what happens when you don’t do it properly.

    Thanks for the chapter!

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